Gas-engine



(No ModeL) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

A. L. HARBIS-ZON. GAS ENGINE.

No. 595,625. Patented Dec. 141897.

(No Model.

- v 2 SheetsSheet 2. A. L. HARBISON.

GAS ENGINE.

No. 595,625. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

1N5 mama PEYERS UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE.

I ALBERT L. HARBISON, OF NEW BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,625, dated December 14, 1897. Application filed April 25, 1896. Serial No. 589,042. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. HARBISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Brighton, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings,which make part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical section through my engine with the exterior parts shownin elevation. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same at the right-hand end of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the sectional guides, connecting-block, and swinging link. Fig. 4 is a plan of the guide-plate for the sectional guides. Fig. 5 is a crosssection of the guide-plate. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the face -plate for the guide-plate. Fig. 7 is a broken section through the center of the valve-cham her for the oscillating valve.

. Fig. 8 is a transverse section through rockthe cylinder; and my invention consists, generally stated, in means for regulating the admission of the gas and air and in the oscillating valve at the head of the cylinder, all as hereinafter more specifically set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

In the several views, which make part of this specification, 2 is the driven shaft, having twin fly-wheels 3 3 thereon inclosed in the upright base 4.

5 is the working cylinder; 6, the pistonhead; 7, the piston-rod, and 8 the crank-pin. The cylinder has water-cooled passages 9 9.

10 is a gear-wheel on shaft 2, meshing with the gear 11, of double size, on stub-shaft 12, which shaft has a bearing in boss 13 on shell of upright base 4. j

14 is a cam on the outer end of stub-shaft 12, and 15 is a roller in contact with said cam. The roller 15 is on sleeve 16, turning on spindle 17, riveted to lower slide 18.

19 is acotter-pi-n passing through collar on sleeve 16 and end of spindle 17 to prevent longitudinal displacement of sleeve 16. The lower slide 18 moves in guide-plate 21, (seen in detail in Figs. 4 and 5,) and which is provided with an opening for the spring-bracket. Guide-plate 21 is secured to upright base 4.

Projecting rearwardly from slide 18 is spring-bracket 22, which supports the lower end of slide-spring 23, the upper end of which spring bears against lug 24 on the rear face,

of guide-plate 21.

25 is the guide-rod for spring 23.

26 is a catch-block secured to swinging link 27, which oscillates on bearing 28 on block 29, which in turn is fastened to upper slide 30. The catch-block 26 is normally held away from the slides 18 and 30 by springs 31.

21' is the closing-plate for guide-plate 21.

j 32 is a main-valve rod extending from the catch-block 29 to toe 33 on rocking shaft 34, which rocks in bearings 35 35. Shaft 34 between said bearings has toe 36 bearing on the stem 37 of main valve 38, normally seated by spring 39.

The main-valve rod 32 is provided with adjustable collar 40, which engages collar 41 on bell-crank 42, pivoted to bracket 43 on cylin-' der 5. Bell-crank 42 rests against the stem 44 of gas-valve 45. 46 is a supply-pipe for said gas-valve.

47 is a second adjustable collar on the mainvalve rod 32, and 48 is a spring interposed between said collar 47 and a second collar 49 on bracket 50, attached to valve-chamber.

51 is the air-inlet, and 52 is a threaded plug projecting into the air inlet passage and which can be adjusted to pass the required amount of air.

53 is the lowest exhaust-port. 54 is a valvecontrolling by-pass in working cylinder. 55 is the furnace or igniter-passage. 56 is the upper foul-air exhaust. The function of these ports and passages is explained below in connection with the operation of the enin head 6-;L of oscillating valve-chambeif65. The oscillating valve 65 is seen in detail in Figs. 9 to 12, inclusive. It is both an inletvalve for the mixture of gas and air and an outlet-valve for the burned gases. The valve is cored at each end and at quartering distances into the valve-passages A A, to each of which there is a quartering inlet-port a a. Each end of the valve is provided with split rings of such diameter as to receive the entire wear upon the bushing 66, slotted at 67.

67 is the inlet-port of the main valve from the slotted bushing. n

Returning again to the main shaft, 68 is a governor of any appropriate form secured upon the main shaft, here being for illustration an eccentric governor of well-known type. 69 is an eccentric strap connected therewith. 70 is the eccentric-rod,having two adjustable collars 71 and 71', between which plays the collar 72 of knocker 73, pivoted in bracket 74 on the under side of arm 75, secured to base 4. The inner end 'of knocke'r 73 is in rubbing contact with swinging link 27. Arm 75 is provided with an eye 76, through which passes eccentric-rod 70, and between which eye 76 and nut 77 is tensionspring 78, adjusted by nut 79.

The operation of the various mechanisms thus described is as follows: Air isadinitted through the airinlet passage 51 and the proper proportion of air determined by adjusting plug 52. The proper ratio of gas and air is secured by the means of pipe 46, which may have a suitable valve. The valve 54,controlling by-pass out from the cylinder, is also open, provided a large type of engine is used, the purpose of the by-pass valve being to give the engine one-half of its ordinary compression and also thus reducing the labor of turning the engine over by hand when it is starting. A corresponding light impulse is derived on the first explosion of gas, because the force of the explosion is relieved by the use of this by-pass valve at midway point of the cylinder instead of being, maintained until the main exhaust is reached. In other Words, the contents of the cylinder are by-passed or discharged with only half of the traverse of the piston. As the engine is turned over by hand by a suitable crank, (not seen,) when the piston is on its top center the gas-valve 45 is in position to open and the main valve 38 has already opened. The down motion of the piston sucks in air and gas, the passage being open through the right-hand end of the valve '-'chamber 65, through the oscillating valve and the valve-passage 67 into the upper end of the working cylinder. The same proportion of air and gas is introduced at each downstroke, because the piston is relieved at its lowest exhaust-port 53 and has aconstant load and a constant valve area supplying air and gas. When the piston reaches about its bottom center, cam 14, that operates the main valve and the gas-valve, is in position to close both these valves very quickly. on the upstroke of the piston, both the gas and the main valves being closed, the compression of the air and gas takes place and continues until the piston reaches its top center, at which point ignition takes place by means of the igniter at 55. The cylinder is now full of burned air and the fly-Wheels have received a sufficient impulse to carry them around for a given number of revolutions without any further explosions. There is now Very little compression on the upstroke of the piston, as the burned gases are very rarefied and offer little resistance to the upward motion of the piston. During the intermediate revolutions between two explosions the piston in passing over the lowest exhaustport 53 will release portions of the foul air, and, futheimore, passing over the exhaustport causes a suction of the piston upon the main valve 38, slightly opening the same and releasing a small portion of the burned gases through the main valve; but the greater portion of the burned gases is not expelled until just before a fresh influx of gas and air is admitt'ed for a second explosion. Then the piston, traveling over the bottom center, the cam 14 having been so set as to cause the main valve 38 to open and to continue to keep open during the upstroke of the piston until the top centeris reached, the burned gas is forced out through the oscillating valve 65, which is in a proper position to pass the same through its left-hand port and out through the foulair exhaust 56. when the piston descends,- the oscillating valve returns to its position, which permits it to receive fresh air and gas and pass the same through its right-hand end and the port 67 to the working cylinder.

The manner in which the gas is out 61f from the working cylinder in the period between two explosions is as follows: When an explosion has taken place and the main shaft is rotating rapidly, there is not su ificient throw imparted to the eccentric-rod to move the k'no'cker 73 against the swinging lever 27 to force the catch-block 26 into engaging position between the slides 18 and 20. No inotion is therefore imparted to the main v'alve rod 32 and the main valve 38 remains stationary, as well as the gas-valve 45. WVh'en, however, the speed of the engine falls to a predetermined point, a suflicient throw is imparted to the eccentric-rod 70, which is then reciprocated, moving kno'cker V 73 against swinging link 27, forcing catch-block 26 into engagement with slides 18 and 20, moving main-valve rod 32, opening main-valve, and opening gas valve through bell-crank lever 42, actuated by collar 40 on the main-valve rod 32. The spring 7 8 and regulating-nut 79 at the upper end of the eccentricqod 70 perunit me to adjust the tension of the governor without stopping the engine.

Having described my invention, I claim- In gas-engines, the combination of a lower slide reciprocated by a positive connection with the main shaft and an upper slide suitably connected with a gas-inlet valve; a catchblock on a pivoted link adapted to bring said upper and lower slides in operative engagement when inserted between them; a pivoted knocker in contact with said swinging link; an eccentric-rod actuating said knocker and the governor on the main shaft controlling the throw of said eccentric-rod. 10

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of April, A. D. 1896.

- ALBERT L. HARBISON.

Witnesses:

WM. L. PIERCE,

L. D. IAMS. 

